Sunday, September 5th, 2021 marked the point where the professional wrestling game changed. For those who missed AEW All Out, they missed out on wrestling history. They missed Japan’s “murder grandpa” Minoru Suzuki make his way down the entrance ramp and beat the daylights out of Jon Moxley. They missed Ruby Soho (F.K.A. Ruby Riott) debut as the Joker entrant in the Women’s Casino Battle Royale. They missed CM Punk’s first match in over seven years. And most of all, they missed the AEW debuts of Adam Cole and Bryan Danielson, both debuting within minutes of each other.
Since All Out, pro wrestling fans can’t help but spot the intense contrast between AEW and WWE’s products. On one hand, AEW represents the hardcore wrestling fans that WWE has lost hand over fist in the last decade. They are a rare organization that seems intent on working with other promotions, booking dream matches and listening to their fans. On the other hand, the WWE is the biggest fish in the pro wrestling ocean, yet doesn’t want to identify as a pro wrestling company. WWE has an incredible talent pool, the best TV deals in the industry, yet only focuses on one show, and the product has felt lazy for years. In today’s column, I’ll be looking at the key factors in why AEW is on the rise, and why they’re creeping up on WWE faster than anyone expected.
Giving the Fans What They Want
In the entertainment business, it’s usually a good idea to give the fans what they want. In wrestling, it’s not quite that simple. What the companies believe the fans want sometimes diverges from what they actually want. The main difference between AEW and WWE in this regard is adjusting to the fans’ wants.
AEW has been masterful at calling audibles to their storylines to satisfy the fans. A very recent example would be last Wednesday’s Dynamite, where Jon Moxley faced and defeated Minoru Suzuki in what was a bit of a disappointing match. It was too short, and there was clearly more time that could have been given to the match judging by Moxley’s long celebration. The match seemed rushed, which never goes over well. And worst of all, they cut Minoru Suzuki’s entrance before the crowd could yell “Kaze Ni Nare!” with his theme music. Fans watching were justifiably upset, and AEW quickly came up with a way to incorporate this into a storyline. Suzuki will appear again, with the story being that having the match in Cincinnati, Moxley’s hometown, provided unfair advantages, such as cutting Suzuki’s theme music.
If it were WWE, Minoru Suzuki would simply not be wrestling again and the whole thing would be forgotten because, to put it bluntly, WWE thinks you have a goldfish memory. As opposed to AEW, WWE thinks that they know what the fans want better than the fans do. This is why for half a decade, WWE tried to push Roman Reigns as the face of the company when the fans had no interest in a babyface Roman Reigns. They wanted Daniel Bryan, they wanted Dean Ambrose and they wanted Bray Wyatt. To WWE’s credit, they gave the fans their Daniel Bryan Wrestlemania moment, but only after trying to pass his Yes chant off to the Big Show in an attempt to prove that the chant was over, not Bryan.
WWE has had this problem for over a decade and it doesn’t seem to be changing any time soon. The list of examples where WWE went against what fans wanted is endless. Despite numerous matches showing that they shouldn’t, they’ve brought back Goldberg multiple times to face their champion. There’s the time where Zack Ryder was the hottest star in WWE, only to have John Cena steal his girlfriend, be put in a wheelchair, and be thrown off the stage by Kane. Then there’s when CM Punk was the hottest star in all of wrestling, only to be beaten by a semi-retired Triple H to make way for The Game’s feud with a semi-retired Kevin Nash. There’s also never putting CM Punk in the main event of Wrestlemania, having him take a backseat to other main eventers during his 434-day title reign. I wonder why that CM Punk guy left wrestling for seven years and then joined the competition?
They’ve put the title on part-time wrestlers so many times over the past several years that sometimes I really did forget that the Universal Championship existed. They debuted Karrion Kross, had him lose to Jeff Hardy in his first match, and put him in a knockoff Roman gladiator helmet. Aleister Black’s time spent on the main roster was unremarkable as a whole.
To sum it up: AEW doesn’t try to tell the fans what they want, they adjust whenever their view doesn’t line up with the fans. WWE tries to force what they want, whether the fans want it or not, because, for years, the fans have put up with it. In the most ironic promo WWE has ever had on television, Triple H mocked this very idea. He taunted the fans for going on social media and complaining. “I might even post an Instagram.” Triple H said, mocking the fans in the most hilariously out-of-touch way possible. He then claimed that he and his friend Mark would stop watching. This was back in 2014. Shockingly, viewership of Monday Night Raw has fallen off of a cliff. I can’t imagine why, when this is how the company handles the fans being unsatisfied.
Moments vs Good Creative
I’ll give the WWE credit, they’ve made some amazing moments over the years: CM Punk winning at Money in the Bank 2011 and proceeding to exit through the crowd in Chicago, presumably leaving the company with the WWE Championship. Daniel Bryan defeating all of Evolution minus Ric Flair in one night at Wrestlemania 30, finally getting his crowning moment. And of course, there was Kofimania running wild.
But these moments lose their meaning when you consider what followed. CM Punk came back after minimal time away and his momentum would soon be halted by the aforementioned Triple H saga. Daniel Bryan was put in a feud with Kane and would be sidelined with a neck injury shortly after. That’s not on WWE, but at the time, that feud with Kane was very frustrating to watch. And Kofi’s reign was great while it lasted, but then Brock Lesnar ended it in about 15 seconds. Speaking of moments, Brock squashing Kofi led to Cain Velasquez’s debut and subsequent loss in Saudi Arabia. That moment flopped, as many do.
AEW isn’t a slouch when it comes to moments either, but it isn’t all about making moments at the cost of storytelling. CM Punk’s debut was the best moment in wrestling in years and they capitalized by having him elevate Darby Allin in his promo. Their first heart-warming moment came following the amazing storytelling in the Cody Rhodes match against Dustin Rhodes, where the brothers reconciled. The point here is that storytelling leads to great moments. AEW’s resident anxious millennial cowboy Adam Page is the best example of this. He’s intertwined in both the Dark Order and Elite storylines. There’s a clear build to him one day capturing the AEW World Championship, and when that day comes, the crowd’s joy will be overwhelming. The main difference between this potential moment and Kofi or Daniel Bryan’s title wins is that AEW has been building for that moment, making the fans want it to happen. Kofi and Bryan practically forced WWE’s hand through years of never getting their due and the fans recognized their talent and hard work and pushed as hard as they could to make WWE give them their moment.
Wrestling vs Sports Entertainment
This might come as a surprise to you, but WWE isn’t a wrestling company. At least, it claims not to be one. WWE identifies itself as a sports entertainment company. This is why CM Punk noted in his debut promo for AEW that he considered the day he left Ring of Honor as the day he left wrestling since according to WWE, he was now a sports entertainer. The difference between sports entertainment and pro wrestling is very small and it’s one of those weird quirks that drive me insane when I try to think about them. But this difference in identity is another key to why AEW is on the rise.
AEW is proud as hell to be a wrestling company. As opposed to WWE, which usually focuses on promos over matches, AEW showcases their wrestling first, often opening the show with a match. Chances are if you’re watching a wrestler in AEW, they’re wrestling with their own style that they’ve cultivated for years on the independent scene.
WWE is known to change wrestler’s styles to fit their own style. For instance, CM Punk’s finishing move on the independent scene was the Pepsi Plunge, a top rope pedigree. He had to change it since Triple H already had the pedigree and the Pepsi Plunge was basically just a cooler pedigree. Bryan Danielson used a submission move called Cattle Mutilation, which is the most metal name for a move I’ve heard of. He stopped using it because you couldn’t see his face very well on camera. These two were as established of stars as you could find on the independents, and they had to change what got them noticed.
And the name sports entertainment would imply that win-loss records matter, like in a sport, but no that’s how it works in the pro wrestling company AEW. In no sport does anyone just show up for the first time in years and win a championship. Yet, WWE brought back both Becky Lynch and Brock Lesnar after about a year, just to toss them into title feuds. No tune-up matches to shake off the ring rust, just straight to a title match. Not only that, Becky Lynch immediately beat Bianca Belair in under a minute, which I could write an entire column on why that was a stupid decision, but it completely ignores the whole sports part of sports entertainment. Brett Favre can’t just come back, join a team and look like prime Brett Favre. That’s mostly because Brett Favre is 51 years old and hasn’t played football in years. But wait, Goldberg was 49 years old and hadn’t wrestled in 12 years when he came back and he beat Brock Lesnar in a few minutes; how does that make sense?
It doesn’t. CM Punk’s entire story during his return match against Darby Allin was one of a man having his first match in 7 years and having to slow the pace down and get back to basics, before finally getting back in his groove. Adam Cole’s debut in AEW didn’t place him immediately in a title feud. However, they might be committing this cardinal sin with Bryan Danielson, but time will tell if that’s the direction they go in. That’s another key factor with AEW: there’s a benefit of the doubt given to the company due to the goodwill it has built with its audience. WWE lost that goodwill long ago.
Momentum
AEW has the most momentum in the entire wrestling business, while WWE has been lacking in buzz for a long time. What they lack in momentum, they make up for in the most important metric, money. WWE has massive television contracts with Fox and NBC Universal, along with international deals. They’re never going to run into the problems WCW ran into, unless NBCUniversal gets incredibly fed up with the lack of star power and intriguing storytelling on Monday Night Raw.
To keep their rise to the top going, AEW needs to capitalize on this momentum. Yes, it’s cool to see CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Adam Cole and Ruby Soho jump ship to AEW. But AEW needs to make sure they don’t mess this opportunity up. CM Punk has been handled very well, with his win over Darby Allin at All Out and now his upcoming feud with Team Taz. He’s not being rushed to a title shot. Adam Cole rejoining the Elite is also a great start. Ruby Soho has been treated as a legitimate threat in the women’s division, which desperately needed a shot of adrenaline since it lags largely behind WWE’s women’s division. However, Bryan Danielson immediately wanting a shot at Kenny Omega is a cause for concern.
Would it be an amazing match? Yes, it might be the best match I watch in my lifetime. But Danielson coming over and immediately getting in a feud with the champion reeks of what I and many fans haven’t enjoyed with WWE over the years. It’d be hypocritical to give AEW a break while simultaneously giving WWE grief over it. This is only worrying because CM Punk’s biggest gripe with WWE immediately after leaving was that his chance at main eventing Wrestlemania was taken by a part-timer who would only be there for a cup of coffee. AEW can’t make that same mistake, because they have such a talented roster, it would be a shame to see the same thing happen with talent leaving.
As it stands, AEW has all of the momentum in the world. They consistently put on the best shows, they have the most buzz and they have built enough goodwill with fans to make mistakes. Punk, Bryan, and Cole give AEW mainstream attention that it really lacked to this point. However, as Bryan Danielson said after All Out, AEW can’t forget the people who were there since Day 1. If they can find the perfect balance of capitalizing on their new acquisitions and continuing to build their original talent, they’ll be able to really give WWE a run for its money. After all, AEW is backed by Tony and Shahid Khan, owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Fulham FC. The financial backing to continue the momentum and compete is there, AEW just needs to keep its momentum going. WWE needs to remember it has two shows, because Smackdown has been a good, sometimes even great show. But Monday Night Raw has been a drag, and it’s starting to get beat by AEW Dynamite. If that’s not a sign of the game changing, then nothing is.